


Someone To Cry On

by Burning_Sol



Category: Everyman HYBRID, Tribe Twelve
Genre: im not, oh wow. ready for a mental breakdown? - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-12
Updated: 2019-05-22
Packaged: 2020-01-12 02:24:53
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,692
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18437090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burning_Sol/pseuds/Burning_Sol
Summary: Noah was left alone in HABIT's house, only to discover that he wasn't actually that alone.





	1. Waking Up

It was quiet. Not that Noah was complaining or anything.

 

HABIT had wandered off and left Noah alone, which was all the more better for the man if he was being honest. Noah hadn’t hung around HABIT for long, and he didn’t _appear_ to be all that bad, but he could tell that there was something distinctly fucked up about the entity. Noah wasn’t one to argue with his instincts, so all in all he just really wanted to get the _hell_ out of HABIT’s house. There was this constant ticking that seemed to echo throughout the house that was driving him mad, reminding him of the contraption that the Observer had left in his house. WOW. Was that something he really DID NOT want to think about. Noah got onto his feet and stepped out of the kitchen into the hallway. He walked straight down it, looking behind him as he went, the ticking growing softer the further away he got. And the further he got, the more confused he became. By the end of the hallway he was turning to see the living room which he _swore_ he had _just_ walked by. He was about to turn on his heel and mutter curse under his breath when something caught his attention.

 

Someone else. In the house. Standing there in the living room. And it all but took Noah a minute to realise who it was. It was HABIT, looking extremely off. That’s weird, he thought HABIT had left. His posture was stiff whereas it was usually relaxed, and his demeanor was different than it usually was. He was staring at the ceiling and at the walls and at the ground, going around in circles with his eyes. Eyes that had lost all their luster, much more tamed than they usually were. Tiredness seemed to tug at HABIT’s figure, despite him usually carrying himself confidently. It was abnormal, abnormal to the point that Noah didn’t even really think it was HABIT under those brown bangs.

 

Noah furrowed his brow, his voice all but hesitant. “E- Evan? Is that you?”

 

Hazy brown eyes flickered up to meet Noah’s, touched with uncertainty and confusion. Both emotions carried through Evan’s hoarse voice to say, “...Noah..?”

 

Noah hurried up to Evan, his steps uneven and sporadic, and gripped the shorter man’s shoulders. Evan looked around, distant and out of it. “Oh my god, Evan! Evan, are you okay!?” he asked hurriedly. “Holy shit. Holy shit! It’s actually you!!”

 

Evan’s eyes trailed around the room until finally coming back to Noah, wide with bewilderment. He shook gently, his breathing ragged out his mouth. “...Noah…..? Where…. Where am I…? Noah.. Noah. I don’t know where I am.. Noah?”

 

Evan started to break down into a panic, his eyes wet and starting to faintly scream. There was a flood of emotions pouring out of his mouth without rhyme or reason, screaming turning into sobbing as tears fell over his cheeks. Noah held Evan close to his chest and was surprised by the tight grip around his midsection that followed, vibrations reverberating through Noah’s chest as Evan weeped into it. Evan shuddered violently under Noah’s touch, incoherent and hurt and just really needing someone to cry on as memories came back to him. Awful awful memories of doing awful things to innocent people. Things he didn’t think he’d be able to recite to anyone without completely breaking down in front of them. _This was real_ , he thought to himself. _This was real,_ the thought only making him sob all the more harder. _He had really killed all those people._

 

Noah tried to hush Evan, attempting to calm him down, but the truth was that Noah was completely helpless, not knowing how to help his distant friend other than just _being there._ And they stood there for a while before Noah’s hands trailed off from petting his silky hair to cupping Evan’s face, taking a step back to put some distance in between them. Just so that Noah could search Evan’s face for… Something. Evan’s tears had run dry after minutes on end, leaving puffy red eyes and sticky trails running down his face. The man in Noah’s hands looked so beaten down, torn apart and broken by HABIT and his doings. He was taking in gulpfuls of air, Noah hearing a slight wheezing indicating Evan’s throat was dry. Evan tried to say something, but the words fell apart before they could come out as a complete sentence. In the end, Evan only let out a hoarse, “Noah…” Noah’s hands pet Evan’s face, trying to wipe some of the stickiness away that Evan should probably wash off at the sink.

 

“Hey hey… It’s okay. You’re okay now.” Noah lied, just like how he lied about how frightened he truly was when he stared the Observer in the face. Putting up a facade because it was easier to take in the moment rather than the sad truth. The sad truth that nothing was okay, that life was a mess. “You’re here with me, right?”

 

Evan nodded, and Noah ruffled up the shorter man’s hair in false reassurance. “N- Noah… What are you doing here…..?”

 

The croakiness of Evan’s voice made Noah grimace, and Evan looked down in shame. “Hey, don’t worry about it. I get the feeling you were holding that in for a long time?” Evan didn’t speak, but even through the silence it was clear what the answer was. “I’m sure it’ll… Come back to you. HABIT just dragged me here a few hours ago, I’m not sure why.”

 

“Yeah…. Yeah he did…… Something about a favour…”

 

“Firebrand. Tch. Figures the guy wouldn’t tell me anything.” Evan was quiet, disturbingly quiet, and he just stared into the nothingness in a shock. “Um… How about we wash your face?”

 

Evan still refused to speak, but Noah didn’t really blame him. He gingerly took one of Evan’s hands and lead him back through the hallway he’d come until they, miraculously, got to the bathroom. Noah gently pushed Evan towards the sink and laid a hand on his back, rubbing soothing circles into it. Evan shakily turned on the faucet and splashed cold water on his face, scrubbing a little harsher than necessary. When he looked up to the mirror he could almost feel himself shatter again, because it was the same face so many people had seen _grinning ear to ear_ before they died. Evan felt some vomit come up and tingle the back of his throat threateningly as he thought back to when HABIT was holding a knife and _oh god_ he almost spewed in the sink.

 

Evan gripped onto the sink like a lifeline, his knuckles going white from how tight he was holding on. It was as if if he let go then HABIT would be in his body again. Doing horrible things again. It was when Evan started to hyperventilate that Noah held onto Evan’s shoulders, massaging them and letting Evan know that he was there. That at least someone was there with him. That at least it wasn’t Evan waking up alone again with the disgusting guilt to eat away at his insides. Because even if it wasn’t his fault, there was _always_ going to be that guilt gnawing at him.

 

It was getting close to the half hour mark before Noah pried Evan’s hands away from the sink, steering him back out of the bathroom. He looked hollow, lifeless. It just seemed like HABIT kept on taking and taking and taking. Always taking _everything_ from Evan, even when he thought there was nothing left to take from him. Noah could only pour all his attention onto Evan in that moment because, by comparison, he hadn’t been through _shit._ Not by a long shot. Any kind of torment the Observer had put him through couldn’t compare to the _agony_ that Evan had had to endure, all on his own no less.

 

It was when they got to a bedroom that Evan had collected himself, if only to almost break down again. Noah sat Evan down on the bed, leaving momentarily to get the poor man a glass of water. Noah was going to simply hand Evan the glass, but the violent trembling on Evan’s part convinced Noah that he _probably_ shouldn’t be holding a glass right now. He tilted back the glass carefully, but Evan wrapped his hands around Noah’s and tipped the thing all the way back. “Hey hey hey! If you drink too quickly you’re going to get sick!”

 

“Thanks mom. I’ll keep it in mind.” Evan shoulders shook as a cough rattled him (that’s what you get for drinking too fast). The teasing would have been more playful and lighthearted if it weren’t for Evan’s expression, his eyes clouded with sorrow and his lips pressed tightly together. Noah sighed and sat down next to Evan. Noticing he was brushing against Evan’s side, he moved to get a little distance between them but Evan stopped him, his hand darting for Noah’s wrist. “Wait- Uh. I just… Could you be right next to me? If you don’t mind.”

 

Noah cocked his head to the side, stopping. “Uhm… Yeah? Sure, if it makes you feel better.”

 

A tense silence hung over the two for a few minutes, until Evan asked what was both on their mind.

 

“How long do you think I have left? Until…”

 

Noah couldn’t look Evan in the eye, biting his lip. “I don’t know Evan. HAB…. He… Never told me anything…..” If Noah was looking at Evan, he would have seen the contemplation that crossed his face. Noah was trying his hardest not to overstep his boundaries, and Evan was trying to guess if this would be a _little_ too much. It also crossed his mind that he would be abusing his current position to get a little comfort that would ultimately be meaningless. But… Evan rested his head against Noah’s shoulder, waiting for the taller man to pull away. But he didn’t. He looked a little alarmed, sure, whipping his head around to see Evan snuggled against him, but he didn’t move to stop Evan in any way. Evan was thankful, he wasn’t sure he could handle any kind of rejection right now. It’d be too much for him.

 

Noah cleared his throat. “You should get some sleep.”

 

Evan’s eyes widened in a panic, pulling away from Noah’s side to stare him in the face. “Bu- but what if I don’t wake up again Noah? I can’t just _leave_ again. I don’t _want_ to leave again! What if he comes back??”

 

“Hey hey hey. Shhh. Evan, Evan _look_ at me. You’re _not_ going to leave again. Okay? You’ll be alright. You’re tired, you need to rest.”

 

“You don’t know that!!” Evan cried out, cutting through the blatant lie. “Neither of us know that Noah!! I could be gone again by morning! I could be skewering people again!! Or- or-!” Noah tried to reach out a hand to Evan but the shorter man slapped it away. Evan looked just about ready to break into tears again. “You can’t just keep lying like this Noah!! None of us can!”

 

“I- I _know_ Evan. But being in a constant fear isn’t doing us any good either!! HABIT’s been overworking that body of yours and, frankly, a mental breakdown doesn’t really help that case!”

 

Evan shoved Noah away and flipped over to lie on his stomach. He grabbed a pillow and shoved his face into it, only barely holding himself back from screaming bloody murder and straining his already ruined throat.

 

Noah realised he had done just about all he could, rubbing his face and sighing. Murmuring a soft, “Goodnight…” Noah rose up and shuffled to the door. He flicked off the light and closed the door, leaving Evan to mull over everything.

 

_How long did he have left?_


	2. A Day To Live

Evan opened his eyes, only to be confused.

 

_ Where was he? Where was HABIT? _

 

Evan’s head twisted around to the alarm clock set on the bedside table (alongside it the glass from last night). 11:14 AM. Huh. He buried his face into the pillow, inhaling the scent of sleep before he turned onto his back. He blinked once, maybe twice or more. He tried to bore a hole into the ceiling with his eyes as he waited for control to be ripped from him again, for HABIT to be in possession of his body again… But there was nothing. And it honestly took Evan a few good minutes of his time to convince himself that he was actually there, instead of just dreaming about it or something along those lines. And, considering the fact it  _ wasn’t  _ a dream, he was cold. God, where was a jacket? He must have been  _ really  _ tired if the lack of warmth didn’t wake him up. 

 

Evan lifted himself up and forward, hearing his back crack in protest. As much as he’d like a bit more rest, he was already awake and probably not going to be able to get any more shut eye (for a multitude of reasons of course). Evan sighed, slapping one of his cheeks to get a little bit of the sleepiness out of his system. Standing up, he linked his hands together and stretched up towards the ceiling, balancing on his tippy toes as he sloppily got the kinks out of his joints. He let out a breath of relief, dropping onto his heels. Now, was there something he could wear around here?

 

Evan rubbed his arms in a fury, his best attempt at getting warmed up. Thankfully, it didn’t take long for him to spot a jacket. Although it wasn’t the… Cleanest. Evan could feel himself go a little lightheaded at the sight of blood. He desperately dug around through the closets in search of anything else, but there was nothing but shirts. Fucking HABIT. He shimmied the bloodied jacket onto himself reluctantly, still keeping up the friction so he could get a little warmth into the jacket. It was  _ frigid.  _ He closed his eyes, trying not to focus on the texture of dried blood that ran underneath his hands cooly.

 

Alright. Now what?

 

Well, of course Evan thought back to the previous day and how he had buckled in front of Noah, shame being the first of many emotions to come forth at the thought. It was either he faced Noah now or he just let HABIT take over again. Evan shuffled over to the door and his hand brushed over the door knob... Only he found himself hesitating. His head rested against the door, his hand clinging onto the cool metal. He cursed himself for even considering  _ both  _ of those options. NO, he’d have to apologise to Noah. He’d have to face his mistakes. He shouldn’t be willing to just  _ wait  _ for HABIT to take over again, he should be proactive! ...and yet he still had hesitated before opening the door. It really said something about his mental state, huh?

 

He trudged outside of the bedroom and headed down the stairs. At least… He had  _ thought  _ it was down the stairs? The house felt weird in some sort of crazy way. He was feeling a little lost and he tried to rationalise that you couldn’t get lost in a bloody house, yet he was wandering around hopelessly trying to find the kitchen for god's sake. He paused when he came to the living room, seeing that Noah had made himself comfortable on the couch. The guy seemed to have found a DS and was playing something before he realised Evan was watching him from the doorway, after which he promptly snapped the device closed and gave Evan his full attention. He initiated the conversation, sounding a little hesitant. “Uhhh… Hey dude. Just found this DS hanging around and… That... Doesn’t really matter if I’m being honest. How are you feeling? I didn’t want to wake you up or anything.”

 

The couch had blankets haphazardly tossed to the side, as if Noah had been sleeping there. And, out of concern, Evan asked, “Did you sleep on the couch?” 

 

“Yeah, I did.” Noah confirmed, looking a little haggard. “But I mean, no problem. It doesn’t especially make a difference anyways... But really, how are you feeling?”

 

“About as good as you could imagine me feeling.”

 

“Sooo... Shit?”

 

“Pretty shit.” Noah looked down at the DS in his hands guiltily. A silence plagued the room for only a moment before Evan addressed Noah. “Noah. I’m so sorry for breaking down like I did last night. Usually no one’s around when HABIT leaves and I just- It was  _ really  _ uncalled for-” Evan looked up to Noah, surprised to see the man’s eyes  _ widen  _ as if in a shock.

 

“Wh- what the  _ hell  _ Evan? Are you fucking kidding me?”

 

That caught Evan off guard, far from the disappointment he had been mentally preparing himself for. “Excuse me?” 

 

“You’re apologising for having a mental breakdown when you’ve... Evan, how is that  _ not  _ fucked up in your head??”

 

“I- I don’t know. I just thought-”

  
“Dude, you really haven’t talked to  _ anyone  _ about this? Nobody at all??” Evan shook his head, the turn of events leaving him petrified. “Fuck… I thought… How have you been keeping this up for  _ god  _ knows how long?” 

 

Evan considered the question, a pitiful murmur coming forth from his mouth. “..I didn’t want to be a nuisance….” 

 

Noah pinned Evan in place with his eyes, making Evan squirm. “A  _ nuisance?  _ Evan!! You’re  _ allowed  _ to get help dude!! Keeping this shit in doesn’t do anything but hurt yourself.” 

 

“It’s not going to  _ change  _ anything. HABIT isn’t going to stop doing what he does! There’s no point in feeling better if things are just going to go to shit again!!” 

 

“Do I really have to- !? You know what. No. We’re not arguing about this. Nu-uh. Because what you’re saying is bullshit. If me, the biggest asshole ever, is allowed to get any form of help? You are too. Sit your ass down, we’re playing Wii Sports.” 

 

Evan didn’t argue. 

 

When they got bored of playing doubles against the AIs, they decided to have one of them on each team… Then have themselves on their own teams… And then that got boring so they played some of the golf. And the baseball. And the boxing. Then they picked up Wii Play and grinded through tanks. Then everything else. They saw that, for some reason, there was the game Wii Dare sitting around. They both decided that they weren’t nearly crazy enough to play that. Although, there was MarioKart. Evan and Noah were pretty much all tied when it came to it. Both of them had decided to play with the tilt controls of all things and cursed in complete frustration as they drifted off the tracks. They had built up a pile of ‘FUCK YOU’s and ‘THAT’S NOT FAIR’s and definitely some ‘TILT CONTROLS SUCK’s over the evening. 

 

Evan yawned, pausing a game of MarioKart to rub the sleepiness out of his eyes. Noah asked, “You okay dude?”

 

The shorter man nodded, confirming with a murmured, “Yeah… Just tired...” 

 

“Probably because you haven’t eaten all day.”

 

“Don’t even bring up eating right now Noah…” 

 

Noah’s face contorted in confusion before he came to the realisation that Evan probably remembered eating his- “Okay, okay. But can you at least drink something?” 

 

“What, like caffeine?”

 

“I was thinking water.”

  
“No you weren’t, asshat.”

 

“You don’t know that!” Evan looked Noah in the eye, challenging him. “Shut up, you’re not any better than me.”

 

“You’re not the one who was running a health channel, now were ya?” 

 

“Oh yeah? And look how long that lasted.” 

 

“Longer than your girly ass locks.” 

 

“Speak for yourself. Your hair has gotten pretty long too, Evan.”

 

Evan huffed, getting up and off his feet to get something from the kitchen. 

 

He was about to ask Noah what he wanted when he suddenly lurched forward, his hand landing flat against the door frame. Evan was coughing into his fist, gripping onto the door frame for what little support he could get in the vain hope he wouldn’t collapse in front of Noah. His head was spinning so he closed his eyes tightly and focused on standing up straight, not quite hearing the blatant concern on Noah’s end. Noah stood up when Evan doubled over, losing himself very evidently. Evan’s head dropped forward, his hair falling over his face and obscuring it. 

 

_ Noah suddenly had the worst feeling.  _


	3. And He Takes

_ “Evan?”  _

 

Evan went quiet. He stretched his neck from side to side before turning and raising his head to look Noah in the eye. For a moment, Noah really thought it was Evan. His eyes and expression were soft, reflecting the Evan that Noah had become accustomed to. But there wasn’t a shadow of a doubt of who it was when a grin broke out on Evan’s face, much too wide and haunting to belong to the emotional man. The softness of Evan’s face was disturbed by HABIT, suddenly looking sharp and dangerous. He was back, and he was looking just peachy. Always just  _ fucking  _ great. Noah’s anger flared up for a moment, considering punching the entity in the face. It seemed that the short day with Evan had gotten him a tad more attached to the guy than he had bargained for, and Noah now had an overpowering thirst for retribution.  _ It would be a favour to the world at this point.  _ There was a wolf whistle on HABIT’s part. 

 

“Ah, Noah! See you didn’t mess up the house while I was gone. How are you going? Going good? Yeah, you’re going good alright… Look at the little Jewish face. You look about ready to punch me! Well, you know. If you actually had the guts to do that instead of being a coward.” HABIT sniffled, rubbing his nose and looking around. “See you found the game consoles, thought you might. You play some Mario Kart? Animal Crossing?” 

 

“F… Fuck you.”

 

“Big man has big words for me, huh? How was bonding with Evan? Was it fuuun~? You make a little pillow fort?”

 

HABIT paused, waiting for Noah’s reply. But all he could spit out in a burst of hatred was, “F- Fuck you!” 

 

“Oooh, fuck me! Fuck me!” HABIT mocked. “I’m such a bad and evil man! Screw me, curse me to hell, BANISH me! Oh HABIT, I hope you die for the atrocities you’ve committed! Oh HABIT… You absolute bastard...” HABIT ruffled his hair, humming to himself. “But you didn’t answer my question Noah, did you have fun with Evan? I want to _know._ Was he a good friend? Huh?”

 

“Why.”

 

HABIT cocked his head to the side. “Why?” he echoed back curiously.

 

“Why would you do this? Why drag Evan into this? What fucking purpose did this serve HABIT? To rub in my face how miserable Evan was? Huh? Is  _ that  _ it!! Is this part of some mind game!?”

 

“Mind game? I’m all for mind games but what the fuuu….. Hm… Uhuh.” HABIT’s face screwed up for a moment before clarity struck him. “Oh. OH. OhahaHAHAHAHAHAHA!! You thought that I did that because I- ? HAHAHAH. Oh bless your stupid heart Noah! Why would you think this had anything to do with Evan or you or-? No no no! This is too priceless!”

 

“. . . . . . .I just thought-”

 

“Evan? _ Evan  _ is nothing!  _ Why would I care about EVAN?  _ Evan is a toy I drag around like a ragdoll and dispose of once I think it’s broken into enough pieces! Why, Evan- ! _ ” _

 

“Sh- shut up!! Don’t talk about Evan like that you  _ fucking  _ bastard!!!” 

 

That smile on HABIT’s face was tugged out a little wider, shaking his hair out before taking a step closer to Noah. His hand was short from Noah’s face, playing with the idea of caressing it. “Oh Noah. As in character it would be of me to torture you with emotional conflict, blah blah blah… No. I had personal affairs that needed tending to. Human vessels are flimsy you see, so I couldn’t haul little Evan’s body around. But maybe if I had known he meant so much to you-”

 

“He’s my  _ friend  _ you sicko.”

 

“Hey, I wasn’t implying nothing.” HABIT took a step back, flinging his arms out extravagantly. “We’re  _ all  _ friends here after all, Noah!” 

 

“We’re not friends, HABIT.”

 

HABIT cocked his head to the side, that grin never falling. “Oh but Noah… We already are! Whether you like it or not, I  _ am  _ friends with Firebrand. With  _ you  _ Noah! And I’m going to drag you along with me. Kicking and screaming, bleeding out and wishing that you were  _ dead _ . We’re going to go to the ends of the Earth and back again, because that’s what friends  _ do _ .”

 

Wishing that he was dead? Noah flinched. “You have a pretty sick idea of what a friend is HABIT.”

 

“Eh, maybe. Better than what terms I’m on with that stick in the mud, eh?” Noah didn’t say anything, leaving HABIT to hum to himself. “Now, I’m sure you’re a little disappointed, a little disheartened by that whole fiasco with Evan… But we’re going to do some fun shit together! Shit that’s going to blow your mind and brighten up your day!”

 

“What kind of ‘fun shit?’” 

 

“Knew you’d be interested!” HABIT strolled up to Noah arm threw an arm over his shoulder, explaining things to the poor poor jewish man. “Now, I’m sure you know that we’re working on different planes of existence from the… From the usual one. You know. The normal one? The one you’re used to, yeah. So, we’re going to go on a little trip through the uh… Hm… What did those rabbits call it… The Candleverse! That’s it, the Candleverse. Considering you’re not even used to this house, it’d be a good idea to teach you how things work around here! I remember you got stuck on those fucking stairs and boy was that pretty embarrassing for you! Only the most  _ stupid  _ of entities get stuck on stairs like that. Now, I’m sure you’re wondering ‘HABIT, what does this have to do with anything?’ Right? Come on, say it for me.”   
  


“No.”

 

HABIT started leading Noah along, a lot more sure walking around the house than Noah and Evan had been. He continued talking, not being disheartened by Noah’s lack of cooperation. “So, HABIT, what does this have to do with anything? Glad you asked Noah! Truth is, things are going to get fucking crazy and if you can’t even handle the Candleverse… Well, you’re not really going to last long. Now are ya? The Candleverse is organized and rational despite outer appearances. Where the stick in the mud is going to take ya? A completely chaotic mind fuck, especially for you. You don’t take a right step and a human like you will get lost! You’ll lose  _ days  _ to the maze.  _ Weeks,  _ Noah. Could get stuck in there for  _ years  _ if you aren’t careful! And you’re just about never careful, huh? Saw the thing with those two kids and the cult and WOW. Was that ever a hot mess.” 

 

“You know I’ve learnt since then, right?”

 

“As they say, old habits die hard. Just making sure you don’t relapse into a state of stupidity.” 

 

HABIT paused, having reached the front door. He smiled, gently pushing the door open. A static wormed its way into Noah’s ear, the frequency making the man feel sick in an instant. It was dark outside, and in the darkness Noah could only make out lights amongst the streets that seemed to be tilted at an awkward angle. The air was thick with an energy that Noah couldn’t quite describe, the air heavy on his lungs. HABIT seemed to relish in it while Noah was left feeling sickly and uncomfortable in the new environment. Well, somewhat new. The last time he had been here it certainly wasn’t under these conditions (he prayed things would be a lot less stressful than last time).

 

_ “Ready Noah?” _

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I know it's not the best but I hope you enjoyed anyways. Hopefully I'll write some more stuff soon... Maybe expanding on this story... Maybe. Have a nice day!


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